Freddie Emanuel Terry was born on December 31, 1928. The sixth out of nine children and the third son of the late Willie Ben Terry and Anna (Revell) of Talbot County, Georgia. He was eighty-five years young when he was peacefully called to rest on Saturday, November 15, 2014, shortly after sunrise.
Freddie (commonly known by his family and friends as Fred), was a kind and gentle soul. He was quiet and soft spoken and made an impact on everyone he met. He never raised his voice, but could immediately get your attention with one single look-- âThe Terry Look'.
At an early age, Fred joined the Macedonia C.M.E. Church, which eventually merged with St. Paul C.M.E Church.
On March 13, 1948, Fred, age 19, and Wilvernell (Nell), age 17, joined hands and hearts and created a lifelong partnership in marriage for 66 years. Together they raised six children. Fred Jr. (Christine), Bernice, Laura Mae (deceased at age 5), Randy, Penny and Sandra. They had one grandchild Shannon (Na-Na), three great grandchildren: Darrow, Shandera and Tre'Von, and one great- great grandchild Brook.
Fred was a devoted family man who cooked breakfast every morning for his family until his health started to fail. He watched CNN, MSNBC and the Weather Channel religiously. He loved politics, world news, current events, sports and Western (Cowboy) pictures.
Known for his work ethics, Fred worked two jobs to provide for his family. From 1945-1985, Fred worked at the Milliken, Inc. as a Machinist for forty years. After the Mill closed in 1985 in Manchester, he went on to work for Goodman, Inc. for nine additional years before he decided to retire. While working a full-time job, Fred started up a lawn and landscaping service, which he ran out of his 1974 Ford pickup truck. During the peak season, after working an eight hour shift, he would often do lawns until the evening hours and on weekends.
Fred was a traditional and understated man who loved the classic Fedora hat-which was his signature trademark look. He was a generous soul and a respected elder of the community, who would drive folks from the neighborhood who did not have transportation to town, to work and to church.
Fred was a hardworking family- first man and a quiet leader. He was a devoted husband and dad, a grandpa, a great and great-great grandpa, a brother, an uncle, a cousin, a friend and a man who lived a very full and blessed life.
As the third son of the family, he served as the family connector, whereby he bridged the gap between generations and connected our northern nieces and nephews to their southern Georgia roots and to their family homestead and land.
In 2010, at the age of 81, Fred was diagnosed with a severe case of spinal stenosis, which caused paralysis of his limbs. Not once did he complain about his condition, instead he handled his disposition with grace, with dignity and on his own terms. Although his physical capacities slowly diminished, his mental and observation skills grew sharper.
During his final hours, Fred was surrounded by his devoted wife (Nell), his five children and grandchild and family and friends. A special thanks to the care givers, staff, doctors, physical therapists, nurses and CNA staff at Warm Springs Medical Center and Nursing Home, Heritage Healthcare of Greenville and the Warm Springs Rehabilitation Hospital for the great care over the last five years.
Freddie Emanuel Terry leaves to cherish his memory three brothers: (Forest, Willie J. (Mattie) and Joseph), two sisters:(Laura Kate and Barbara(Eugene). Also two sister-in-laws: (Elizabeth and Mary), three brother-in-laws: (C.L., Willie Ed and Charles) and a host of loving nieces, nephews and friends.
.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Freddie Emanuel Terry, please visit our flower store.
Visits: 0
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors